Shell Programming and Scripting

ok this is my problem.
I have a variable that is very specific in spaceing but when ever i try to use the variable i only get 1 empty space vs 3 for example.

Code:

$ list="list   me"
$ echo $list
list me
$ list2="one          two       three"
$ echo $list2
one two three

i have tried pretty much every variation of quotes and ticks. but its just not working.

Put quotes around the variable when using it.

Code:

$ list="one   two"
$ echo $list
one two
$ echo "$list"
one   two

if you looked at my example i already tried that. also look at your example you will notice one 1 blank space. try that with 2 and it will not work.

It has two (actually three) but did not post here correctly.

It did work using the quotes around the variable when doing the echo.

What shell are you using? I tried this in sh, ksh, and csh. All worked the same in the output (set list = instead of list= in csh).

Are you testing this from a prompt using the example given? What OS are you using (worked the same on Solaris and HP-UX for me)?

And if you look at your example, you didn't post that you tried this. You spoke of trying it on the variable assignment, not when reading the variable.

i appoligize. i apparently misread ur post.

after i was digging thru my korn book on page 69 they gave an example of exactly what i was trying to do.

then i look up and see that you had replyed again to my post.

so thank you for the correct answer.

~Mike

Never a problem - I still can't get the spaces in there (tried editing) - it just post funny on here -looks right when I'm doing it but comes out wrong (it is the same as your problem - it formats extra blank space out of there).

use the \[code\] to get your spaceing correct.

then end it in \[/code\]